


The Grid | Reverse Time #001

by TheFandomFiction



Series: Reverse Time [1]
Category: Adventure Time, Alternate Universe - Fandom, Reverse Time - Fandom
Genre: AU, Adventure Time - Freeform, Gen, Reverse Time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 08:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17158454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFandomFiction/pseuds/TheFandomFiction
Summary: Prince Finn needs Bonnie and Peps to save the commons hall ice cream party! The power is out, and the ice cream is melting! Our heroes dive into the basement of the Palace, to confront The Grid, and restore power!





	The Grid | Reverse Time #001

Adventure Time! Come on grab your friends!

We'll go to far off, distant lands!

With Bonnibel, and Peps the Mint!

The fun will never end it's Adventure Time!

* * *

 

     She turned the screw driver, tightening the back panel carefully. BMO's plastic casing was scratched and scuffed from repeated falls, ' _Silly little robot._ ' As the last screw was set in place, she set them down on the table, and flipped the power on. 'Vmmmmmmmm Ding!' The screen light up, Mo Co TM, the manufacturer she assumed, and then their face appeared. 

     "Bing! Good morning!" They spoke up in their cheerful child's voice, yawning. BMO stood up on the table, imitating stretches. She couldn't help but giggle a little. 

     "Good morning. Your battery pack should be set now, try to be more careful. Finding a new pack would take aaaaaaaaages." BMO had gone on an adventure of their own- chasing a fly out the window. Fortunately her candyfloss bush experiment was conveniently placed, but it had meant Peps hadn't found them for four days. The battery pack had taken another hour of searching, the screw holes had cracked in the fall and the pack bounced away. "I had to melt your back casing and remold it around the screw holes. They cracked." 

     A look of worry passed over BMO's face "Oooh. Does my back look dumboot now?" 

     She giggled again, "No no, I was able to smooth it, you look good as new! Don't worry too much, just don't take any more surprise 'trips' anymore." 

     "Ahah! Yay!" They did a spin, running off the table to the kitchen. She shook her head, brushing a string of hair out of her face. Keeping that goober powered and on was an endless battle, but it was oddly relaxing. Just then though, she heard a loud popping, and smoke began to drift from the kitchen. "Glob- BMO dangit!" She stood up, her pajama pants cuffs catching under her feet heels as she ran. 

     "Its ok!" Peps yelled as she got to the doorway, "Just a little mishap is all, my bad!" She halted, looking into the kitchen cautiously. She didn't need to duck to avoid the smoke at least, being only 4'3. Which was good- because the smoke looked an unhealthy color. 

     "Ehhhuck," She scrunched her nose, the kitchen was coated in gray-blue soot in a starburst pattern, centered on the table, where Peps stoof similarly plastered in it. Behind him, a Peps-shaped area was clean. She smiled, covering her mouth to hide it. It looked hilarious, "Mmm, what did you do Pepbutt?" 

     "Pancakes." He said, with a perfectly blank expression. 

     "Pancakes." She repeated, incredulously. "Really?" 

     "Pancakes." Peps stated again, more adamantly. She squinted at him. It was always 'pancakes' with him. Thinking she didn't know the shady shizzle he was dizzled in. She let it slide though, shaking her head.

     "Fine, pancakes. You really suck at cooking pancakes bruh. Do I need to get Breakfast Princess to send you a cookbook?" She grinned a little now, shuffling over to the fridge carefully, pulling up at her PJ pant legs to they didn't drag in the demonic soot. She pulled the fridge open, grabbing a bottle of milk and turning back to Peps. 

     He stared at the soot footprints she was tracking around, before giving up with an accepting sigh. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." he responded, to the footprints or the cookbook one. She picked the cookbook. 

     "I'll grab one for you then next time we gotta kick some butt by her place. You still good to head to the City- after you ah, mop up?" She leaned on the counter, biting the cork to pop the bottle open, spitting it onto counter as she started chugging.

     "Yes... Yes. Just, give me ten minutes or so. You should get ready too, it does no good to visit a prince dressed like that." He stared at her as she kept chugging the milk, a blank expression. "You look like a bum." 

     Glug. Glug. Glug. Finally she paused, lowing the bottle "So do you blueberry-mint." She shot back. He looked down at himself for a moment, and the colored soot staining his entire front, just sighing. "Right I'll clean up while you mop, you can shower after so the tub isn't stained blue when I get to it." She said, setting the empty bottle in the sink and sliding off.

     "Right... BMO, where's the mo- BMO NO DON'T EAT THAT!" she heard Peps yell as she left the room. ' _Off to see the prince,_ ' she thought. 

* * *

 

     The Policemen standing at the gate waved as they started across the bridge, "Hello Heroes." The man on the right greeted them cheerfully, standing at attention. The four of them were dressed in yellow suits, standing out against the gray concrete walls of the city. The gate itself was painted with colorful and intricate designs, a long mural depicting human history. The Mushroom War, the founding of the City, events from supposedly hundreds of years before the mushroom war at the bottom. 

     She looked away from the mural, giving him a nod, "Suuup. Here to see the prince and such." She said, strolling on by. One of the older guards shook his head, whispering something that made the other laugh, but she just ignored them. Adults were dumb. Peps shot the man a look though, silencing them both. 

     Inside the walls, the city was alive with sound. Humans walked the streets, pushing carts, hawking wares, painting their houses and cleaning their clothes. Everywhere she looked, it was abuzz with activity. She grabbed the straps of her backpack, pulling it up higher on her back so she could walk back-straight. Behind her, Peps trailed, wobbling along. The city smells flooded her nose, the smell of hot meat pies, fruit pies, and baking bread, mixed with moist dirt and sweat. It wasn't quite a pleasant smell, but it wasn't unpleasant either. It smelled like home. 

     Humans weren't the only people in the city. In scarce numbers, dotted in the masses, there were a couple Fire People in protective suits, a man made of grass with a thick beard of moss and antlers of wood growing out of his head. There were even a few scattered goblins running about, carrying letters or selling trinkets of their own. Prince Finn had opened the city to all who agreed to follow its laws- a controvertial decision, but she thought a good one. 

     Finally, they neared the Palace itself. A tall, dominating building of marble pillars and concrete walls, intricately carved like the Obelisk City's ruins. The mostly-gray building was livened up though, with banners, streamers, paintings and tapestries. Anything to brighten it up and make it look less menacing. More Yellow Police stood at the door, spears in hand. They didn't even stop her- most were familiar with the candy duo. 

     Inside the main hall, pillars lined the central path, similarly covered in paint and banners. A long red carpet stretched the length of the central path, leading up to the throne. People milled about, workers running to clean rooms and visitors to the Kingdom enjoying some of it's luxuries, lounging on sofa arrangements around the sides of the hall. Bonnie and Peps just strolled up to the throne, where the Prince sat. 

     She took a moment, taking a deep breath as he was caught up in conversation with another human. He was tall, dressed in brilliant blues and with flowing golden hair. The Human Prince, Finn. She blinked a few times- oh Glob he asked her something. 

     "Oh ah." She blushed faintly, her already pink skin hopefully hiding it, Glob she hoped. "I zoned out what?" 

     He shook his head slightly, speaking up "I was saying, it's good to see your here. The journey was smooth as always I hope?" 

     She nodded quickly, "Oh yea, it was good. Roads. Roads and such, smooth travels." She laughed nervously, cringing inside. ' _Focus floss-brain!_ ' She coughed, "So ah, what was it you wanted us to do then, Prince. Kick some monsters butts, head into some, creepy dungeon and pillage an ancient artefact?" She slammer her fist into her hand, "Both?" 

     "No no, well, sort of? Not a dungeon, and there hopefully shouldn't be much fighting. Ah.." He paused for a moment, before hopping out of his seat, "Come on, this way. I'll show you the issue." He started off, so she and Peps followed behind quickly. "See, you know that 'electricity' thing that Mechaturgeist set up in the commons wing a few months back?" 

     She nodded, "Mechanic. Yea." 

     "Mechanic." He corrected himself with a nod, "Anyway, well, its gone out suddenly. And all the fridges are on the fritz. We had to recruit some of the Icelanders to stand in them so all the ice cream doesn't melt." They rounded a corner, to the Commons Hall, a long room with tables, bean bag chairs, lamps and refrigerators. Refrigerators with slowly pooling water underneath them.

     "Oh..." 

     "Don't worry! They are safe, we check every hour. That's just all the ice that melted before we got to it." Finn spoke up quickly, gesturing to the dark room. "The Policemen can't see anything- with the lamps, we decided to build a gym attached to this side, since we didn't need windows anymore. And we don't have enough candles because I donated them all to the Wax Museum..." He sounded exasperated, sighing.  

     "So... You need us to fix the electrojazz." Peps spoke up.

     "Yes, well, if you can. I don't know anyone else whos a Tinker." He pressed his hand into his fist, popping his fingers under the gloves, then did the other hand, nervously. This was her time to shine!

     "Oh, well you're in luck because I know how to!" Bonnie spoke up, stopping Peps from responding. 

     "You do?" Peps and Finn both asked at once. 

     She laughed again, a forced chuckle. "Of cooourse I do. Remember Peps?" She gave her bro The Look. 

     "O-Oh yea! Yea, because you're a Mechaturgeist, I... remember." He forced a grin, nodding slowly. ' _Perfect._ ' 

     Finn clapped his hands together, "Great news! I'll show you the way to the Grid then so you can get to it Heroes!" 

     They headed through a door to the left side of the room, which lead to a steep staircase. Down and down, the stone steps went, at the bottom, a faint glow lit the path. It turned out to be a bundle of Glow Sticks, tied together in a peg on the wall. Finn grabbed the bundle out, handing to down to her. "Here you go, should be a piece of cake. Let me know if you need anything." 

     "Ahright, will... do that. We got this, dooon't you worry." She responded, giving a thumbs up. Finn jogged back up the steps, shutting the door and leaving Bonnie and Peps in the faint light of the glow sticks. She took a breath, looking around in the darkness.

     "So what now?" 

     She screeched, turning "Globbit Peps you- Gmmm. I don't know, help me find the generator!" 

     The darkness was absolute, so deep below the city. The glow sticks only illuminated a small area around the duo, about five meters of faint yellow light. The floor here was uneven, and patches of dirt and moss broke up the stone tiles. Sound echoed in the expansive chamber, disrupted by the stone support pillars three times her height held the room together. She couldn't see any of the walls yet. As she wandered, with Peps behind, a dripping sound seemed to bounce from the far side of the room. "Let's check the water noises." She said, heading that way. 

     An uncertain "Sure." came back from Peps, as they headed for the sound. By her estimate they had to have walked about twenty meters before they finally came to the puddle. Across the puddle, was an eroded stone wall. Water trickled down the surface, and dripped from the ceiling above out of a crack. As the crack connected with the wall, it grew wider, wide enough for a human. Or a short candy hero. 

     "Look!" Peps pointed at the wall, "Wires." Sure enough, draping from the far right out of the darkness, hung on the wall with pegs and stretching into the crack in the wall, were wires. "But, the pegs look." 

     She followed his finger, realizing what he meant. "Pegs keep going, but the wire goes up. Think something is snatching power?" 

     "Heck yea. Power thief." 

     "Think we gotta go kick its butt?" 

     "Heck yea girl." 

     "Ahwwww yeaaa! Let's kick some power thief booty!" She jumped into the puddle, splashing water as she leaped again, grabbing the edges of the crack and scampering up the wall, "Woot woot!" 

     She heard Peps voice muffled behind her "W-wait up!" followed by grunts and scraping noises. She didn't slow though, she smelled adventure! And mold! Mostly adventure though! 

* * *

 

     "Power thiiiiieeef!" She yelled out, dropping out of the crack-tunnel. Her pants were torn at the knees and the shins were soaked from the long crawl through the damp tunnel, and swiftly her face and the front of her shirt were too as she face-planted into another puddle. She pushed herself up, groaning. Not a puddle. Her lower legs and arms up to her wrists were in a standing pool of water. The entire floor of the chasm was water filled, in about five inches of water. Glowing mushrooms grew up out of the water in various points, illuminating the room in a dull light-

     A scream came from above her, and suddenly she was face-first in the water again, thoroughly soaked now. She pushed herself up against quickly, turning with the Candy Sword drawn- to spot Peps splashing in the puddle. "Ahhh! air air air!" he yelled out. 

     He stopped yelling and thrashing when she grabbed him and put him upright, to stand in the shallow pool. "Oh." He straightened his suit coughing. "Well then." 

     The duo looked around the chamber eyes gravitating to a large dark door at the far end of the pool and, at the same time, they moved forwards for it. They crossed half the room unhindered, the soft echoing of their feet kicking up water as they went the only sounds to accompany them. "This feels too eas-" Pep's arm shot out just as she spoke up, stopping her in her tracks. Then he pointed down. 

     In front of them under the shallow waters, rings of symbols were etched into the stone in a dark gray, barely visible in the dark. Peps put a finger to his lips, whispering "Quiet." Even at his whisper, the symbols glowed faintly for a moment. ' _Oh my._ ' she thought to herself, ' _Sneaky._ ' Peps reached into his suit, grabbing a handful of dust and sprinkling it in the water over the symbols. As the dust settled, the symbols light up, burning a blue, then fading to a green. Peps sniffed the air after a moment, before speaking up. "It's safe now." He said, stepping across. The symbols stayed green. 

     "Niccccce." She said, stepping over too "Boop boop boop dumdum magic get bamboozled." she blew a raspberry at it before running to catch up to Peps, who was at the door now. She stopped and examined the door, which stood tall, almost as tall as the chasm itself, made of a dark gleaming stone and braced with metal. Water trickled around the lips of the door, seeping down its length and from underneath. A single large brass handle was present on the right side, wet as the rest.  "Welp. In we go?" 

     "In we go." Peps agreed, reaching forwards. As the door pulled open, a deep rumbling sound echoed through the room, the ankle-deep water jiggling. "Trap!" He yelled out, but he couldn't push the door back shut. A wall of water crashed into the room, blacking out all light and drowning out all sound. She was lost in the endless waves, a slow panic taking over her mind, before she blacked out.  

* * *

 

     The world was blue. And green. Then gray. She felt herself, drifting, floating in space. It was calming at first, but a slow anxiety grew as the world began to glow. Reds and greens blazed across the surface. She felt herself fly closer, and closer still, until she could make out hills and mountains. This was Ooo. The Icelands to the north, the forests in the east and west, ringing a lake and mountain respectively. The glowing wastelands of the Fire Kingdom. And the Human Kingdom. Slowly the greens and reds overtook the land. She yelled out, but she had no voice. She felt, pain, and anger. She could fix this, she could save them, she- 

     She woke up in a cold panic, Candy Sword in hand already. She gasped for breath in the dark, her laboured breathing echoing. She was dry- or rather, sitting on dry land. She patted herself, her clothes were damp but not soaked. Her hand then went to her head- her goose hat was still secure. A sigh escaped her lips as she blinked against the darkness. But she was totally blind. "Peps?" She called out. No response. "Peps!" Silence answered. She started shivering, the cold cave air rapidly cooling her damp clothing. She muttered "Glob." standing up on wobbly legs. Her head hurt, everywhere was sore but especially her noggin. Regardless, she set out, hobbling into the dark on cautious feet, tapping in front of every step and waving her sword in front of herself to avoid walls. 

     It felt like an eternity passed in the darkness. She breathed quietly, taking shallow breaths. The air was musty, old and stagnate trapped underground for what might have been decades. Slowly though, almost noticeably at first, a light came into sight at the end of the massive chasm. A faint, blue glow, in the distance. It might have been an illusion, a trick of the mind, but slowly it grew as she approached. She could see the defined edges of the chasm form at the opening into the glowing room from twenty minutes off- wherever she was, it was massive. She was numb from the cold by the time she neared the opening to look out. 

     The room beyond the opening put the chasm she had spent so long in to shame. The room was beyond large, a vast void of air carved into a perfect square, what must have been hundreds of meters along each plane. Every surface of the chamber was divided into even grid lines, hundreds running parallel to one another, all glowing blue. In the dim light, she now spotted the wires her and Peps had been following, they ran the length of the chasm she had just exited and up along the wall of the cubical room. Far above, another opening shone with orange, sparking periodically as the familiar sounds of a welder at work drifted down to her. 

     She stepped into the room fully now, turning and walking backwards to keep her eyes on the active opening. She spotted at least seven more openings around as she did a small turn. But none shone any light but the welder-hole. She looked to the shear wall, an almost flat plane, but on closer examination it was lined with small ridges from when this room was seemingly carved out. The lit opening was at least sixty meters up. But it was her best chance. "Hey!" She yelled up. No response. "Hello!" She called again, but still, nothing. Whoever was in their must have had earmuffs on, that made sense to her at least. So she had one option really. To climb. 

     She pulled off her backpack, digging through her tools. A few screwdrivers, a hammer and wrench, a bag of nails- no gloves. There was a flashlight though. "Frickin! Glob! Uhhg." She tossed the flashlight back, no need for it now, ' _That's annoying._ ' She thought, before sitting down with the bag between her knees. Her hands were going to get cut badly if she climbed... ' _Think, come on..._ ' She did have one idea. She had a length of rope, but it wasn't long enough and without a hook it was nearly useless. "But..." she mused to herself as she cut a notch into the handle with a screwdriver, "If I can tie the rope to this..." she pulled the rope tight, rested in the notch, secure. "Then I can make a grappling hook! Haha!" She stood up excitedly, giving the rope a few twirls, aiming it. 

     "Alright, swing. Swiiing... Annnnnd throw!" She let go of the end, sending the hammer flying up into the air. It spun majestically, the blue light of the chamber gleaming off the metal head. As... it slammed into the wall, the handle snapping where she had cut the notch in. She jumped backwards as the head plummeted into the ground, clanging off the stone loudly. She looked up- "Not loudly enough though." She muttered, noting the continued welding. She took a breath, sitting back down "Right, I'm done with this. Screw you wall, you won't stop me!" She tied the rope to her bag, then around her waist, then she pulled her boots and socks off, standing up once more. She wrapped a sock around each palm, tying them to her hands so just her fingers were free. And she started climbing. 

     Hand over hand. Foot over foot. She felt carefully with each movement, gripping any ledges tightly with her fingers, pushing herself upwards with her toes. It was excruciatingly slow, and a growing anxiety swept over her the higher she climbed. A single slip. A loose bit of stone. That was all it took. But she refused to turn back, she refused to be beaten by some stupid rocks. She pushed on, hand over hand. Foot over foot. Until every muscle in her body burned and then further still. Her gummy flesh started to deform slightly on her hands and feet from the constant stress and pressure, but she would heal. She just needed to reach the opening. She didn't look up. She didn't look down. She stared at the wall in front of her. Breathing. 

     Suddenly, she was there. Her hand slapped air, then gripped the final ledge. Her fingers dug into the looser stone, her other hand following suit, gripping a more stable bit of rock jutting out. She pulled herself up one last time, laying a forearm across the ground, and crawling into the opening. She lay there for a long moment, wheezing, belly-down. Collecting herself and resting. After catching her breath, she untied the rope from her waist. The other end was still attached to her bag, and there was slack to spare. And tied it securely to a stalagmite and began pulling the bag up. After it was retrieved, she put it on her back, tossing the end of the rope down the hole and leaving the other end tied to the rock. The welding had stopped, she noticed, and in its place a lot muttering came. Not directed at her, she thought, she saw nothing. She took a breath, and stepped around the corner. 

     She was met with a room, a crude circle with tables and chairs and workstations dotting the walls, familiar sights. Lamps also hung from the walls, wires running to each, the glowblubs shining, illuminating the space. A rough hide carpet sat in the middle of the room, where a man sat, murmuring to himself. "H-hello?" She asked, voice cracking. The man turned. 

     His head was deformed, by her standards at least, horrific. He was generally humanoid, with bumpy looking yellow flesh and a torn suit. His nose stabbed out of his face, his head wider than it was tall, looking almost, lemon shaped. 

     "MmmmmmmMMMMMM!" She stepped back as he stood quickly, an unnatural movement, limbs shifting as if they were jointless. "Who are yOUUUUUUU?" It screeched out at her, its voice raising in pitch as it went. 

     "Ah, ahhh I- I am Bonnie the, I am the ah Bonnie. Hello?" She kept stuttering, barely forming the sentence. 

     It leaned forwards, sniffing. Her hand strayed towards her sword on impulse, her heart racing. The man spotted this, leaning backwards, his eyes bulging. "MMMMMMMMM unaCCEPTABLLLLEEEEEEEEE!" Lemongrab screeched again, lunging forwards for Bonnie as she drew her blade. 

 


End file.
